A lovely trip to a lovely place - Wayanad!!!

It was mid 2005. At work, we believed and indulged in the “All chat and no work makes the team a lively one” funda. We hit upon a tour plan. There were loose talks about going on a tour for a pretty long time, but then things substantiated by the end of July when we realized that we were going to have three days off at a stretch (no office or no work at office are all the same, but for the attendance ;-) ). After a small round of discussions, we finally decided that the place is gonna be Wayanad in Kerala. Heard from a few people that it’s an awesome place and worth visiting. We started getting things ready immediately. The lucky people were finalized, train tickets were booked, accommodation was confirmed and the outings in Wayanad were planned too.

And as bad luck would have it, I was put into a hectic project at the wrong time and had a delivery happening then. Oh how much I wished I were idle to get into the wonderworld of going on a tour with a super lively team. Actually, it’s been a pretty long time since I went on a tour with friends and this was something I was looking forward to so much and the main enthusiastic factor being the group formed then. Anyways, managed to finish off work by 5:30 pm on 12th August, 2006 and we started for Central from office. Oh the superb feeling!!!!!!!!

We were twelve and there was so much joy and life as people started joining at the station. Finally, we started and had a chatty chatty night getting introduced to people we didn’t know earlier who had joined the trip. Slept well in the train that night. Oh!! That’s what I really love, night journeys in the train beside the window. Takes me to a state of high happiness and joy.

Got up early to see the sunrise and beautiful Kerala. The whole world might have fantastic and popular places, but Kerala is the most splendid place I’v ever seen. The lush green scenario is what attracts anybody there. And we spent a beautiful 3 hours watching the blissful sceneries.

Reached Calicut and boarded a mini van to Wayanad. Oh that journey!! One of the best journeys one can ever have. The light green surroundings, clean roads, cool climate and drizzles now and then made the journey awesome. The inner joy at the splendid scenes would find its way out through a smile on the lips. Oh man!! Could a one-hour journey be this wonderful too??

Reached Wayanad and we were pretty concerned about the most economical accommodation that we had to avail. We had planned so late that we lost the best accommodations. But then, surprise of surprises!!! The hotel we had booked was pretty neat and compact and just lovely. Oops!! Can never get a better accommodation at such a low cost.

We had a quick bath and rushed to Woodlands for a superb lunch. Hogged like anything as we skipped our breakfast and started for the go-around that we were looking forward to the most. We were going to Soochipara Waterfalls. Well, the van dropped us at the entrance saying that we had to go down-trekking. The place was unkempt. It had rained and the land was so marshy and slippery. They were steeps and we held each other’s hands for a safe walk (rather run, as it was so steep). I realised that my flat shoes were dangerous and removed them just to realize again that bare foot was still more slippery. Oops, I wore the shoes again and the marsh on my foot prevented me from having a grip on them…Oh what a kolarupadi!!

We were going down (sliding??) the hill and we seriously doubted if there was any falls. Huh!! There was no sound of the falls too. Was reminded of our Talacauvery trip. We went up the hill, it was an hour’s journey I guess and we didn’t have any clue of the falls. I had pictured a Niagara there with a hushing sound and heavy pour which is how possibly, such a big river could have originated. But till the end, the place was dead silent, and finally, to oru shock of shocks, we were shown a small pond with a tiny orifice at its end which is supposed to be the originating point of Cauvery. Oh how disappointing!!! Jus wished that Soochipara also doesn’t turn out to be one.

There were a bunch of school students who preceded us and the ground turned more slippery due to the disturbance. We just wished that none of us went rolling down. There were places where we had no other option than a small jump and that jump might most probably lead to a fall. There were places where we had to hold a tree trunk or a protruding branch to cross. Oh Oh!! Am somebody, who keeps tripping and falling quite often, this seemed like a big bo to me. (lookin out for what Bo means?? I use such words when I don’t find the right one ;-) )

I guess it’s been pretty long since we started and were seriously hoping for a glimpse of the falls. I was somewhere at the last, after all the shoe and slippery things. There was a sudden joyous yell from our team-mates who were far ahead of us. Yo, there was something waiting. And in a few minutes, I saw that too!! Oh what a scene!! In fact, the best scene in my life so far. We stood there agape with wonder at the panorama that opened up before us. There was a strong gush of white water fallin down, throwing drops and drizzles all over the place. The water was gushing away through the rocks and we had to stand on the rocks about ten feet away from the falls. Climbing down the huge rocks and crossing the water to reach the closest rock was risky. But after that, the few minutes spent there could be the best few minutes in one’s life. It was dusk, so the day had turned cooler, the cool droplets falling all over making one gradually wet, the sound of the hushing falls and the smile of the water flowing through and me standing between…A Blessing, it is!! God’s creation cannot be better. Makes you feel that God is truly great and His miracles and wonders are truly the best Blessings.

All of us literally fell for the blissful scene. The tiredness and longing just vanished as what we saw is what one might not even have dreamt to see. And slowly I realized, that I did manage to make my way down without slipping or falling which I never expected to J. It was then that I saw one of my friends standing at the edge of the rock and had her feet in the water. Oh man! How can I miss that, shouldn’t I feel the gushing, chill, fresh water too? I shouted to her saying that am coming too, moved fast in my excitement, and slipped fully into the water. Only my head and shoulders were on the rock thanks to Vijaya (yeah..thats the friend who tempted me ). She caught hold of my hands and prevented me from being washed away. At that moment, my hand which had my handbag was fully into water and the strong flow was almost sweeping it off. There was about fifteen thousand rupees in it (I was the accountant there J ) and I couldn’t afford to leave the bag too. Finally, two more people came to my help and I managed to hold the bag and slowly sit up. Oh!! That second! Had it not been for her, I wonder!!! Managed to say a HI to Yama and said “Will get back later” ;-).

After a bunch of “Are you ok?” “Jayanthi, do u remember me?”, “Jayanthi, what is this, five or four?” , people concluded that I was ok. We decided to move. After capturing a bunch of fotos there, we were asked to move out as it started to darken. I was among the first to move out (am a girl and girls and elders always moved out first L ). Guys stayed back capturing photos and dancing and bathing. And later I realized that two other guys fell down too at the same place. Lucky place eh ;-)

And when we started going back, we realized that it was still more tough. Places that we jumped had to be climbed now with no solid or rough surfaces. We held each others hands to climb up and that was when I cursed myself for having worn tight jeans. Huh!! I wasn’t just able to climb up steep rocks, couldn’t jump up either, no small rocks as a step too. Two people just pulled me up (thank goodness, if it were now, for my weight, I guess I’d have had to stay back there) and finally the most kashtamana rock was done with. JJJ

And we had to shout out to the guys who were enjoying there to come back (stomach burning!!! ). And we started moving up slowly. Our legs started aching immediately and found the up-hill task quite strenuous. After all, the eagerness and slippery downs took us quite quickly and the return was filled with tiredness and missings feelings for the falls. My white kurtha was filled with mud stains and my shoes were in an awful condition.

We returned to our room that day and my first job was to wash the kurtas and jeans and shoes and have a warm water pleasant bath. That the kurtas and jeans never dried is not be considered here J. We then went out to an enclosed restaurant to have dinner and the bill for the hungry 12 of us was just 185/- JJ.

We woke up early the next day, pretty eager to visit the other places too and got ready on time only to find the other guys still sleeping. Managed somehow to wake them up and it was ten when we were ready. Our planned time to start was 7. J. We had a quick breakfast and started to Kuruva Islands. The journey was again awesome. This time we were traveling between dense hills, travelling in a valley effect. We finally reached the place to find a river gushing across. Came to know from two young boys who were making boats there that the island was closed due to the floods LL. Oh, that’s really sad. The island is supposed to be the second best place there and we didn’t get even a glimpse. But we didn’t regret our travel as the surroundings were just too good. Uninhabited plain land, view of the hills, gushing waters, trees here and there, classical huts were so captive.

We had an amazing time enjoying the lovely scenery and started off for the Sanctuary. Now we were traveling in what gave a glimpse of a forest. Dense trees overshadowing the roads and the cool pleasant climate were mind blowing. We got down here and there to enjoy the lovely sceneries.

And the sanctuary was closed too due to the roaming of wild animals. But we didn’t regret it as many of us were not too keen about the sanctuary. But actually, what attracted us was a ride through the forest which unfortunately couldn’t happen. Managed to see a lonely tea shop and we had a really superb tea. It was afternoon then and with no hotels anywhere in the way, we hogged on the bags of snack we had brought (good idea, it did save) and moved on to Edakkal Caves.



Now, we had an amazing time at the caves. We had to climb the rocks which was pretty exciting. Managed to reach the top and we were dead tired then. We then heard from somebody that on trekking further up the caves, we would catch a glimpse of the Kerala, TamilNadu and Andhra borders. Now going there was pretty risky, and we weren’t permitted too. But two of my enthusiastic friends started, one another followed them, I followed him and another followed me. So the five of us were there, only to realize half- way that we had to squeeze in ourselves through a very small gap between two rocks. Yup, we managed to do that too. Although I thought I was bold, there was always this fear of falling.

We finally managed to reach a location where we found that we had to hold a rope and climb up another peak to have a glimpse of the border. Only 2% of the people who visited the caves were going further up. Actually, one had to climb a little up in that soft slippery mountainous surface, then hold a rope that extended for about 6 metres and then climb up again. I had picturised me going up, which wasn’t really difficult, but coming down….am sure I’d slip and fall.. No!! I wasn’t going there. In spite of warning, two of the most enthusiastic friends went there and came back with a victorious feeling, one still feeling bad that she wasn’t permitted to go till the end.

We were at the top, it was great looking at the vast expanse of the land below. Shouting names and teasing each other, we came down and washed our faces in a fresh tiny spring of water. Huh!! That was a super cool, fresh water was so refreshing. It was like an air-conditioned room with a tiny spring at a corner with the sala sala sound. How pleasant!! No other situation can help one relax better. At last we were out of the caves with hard feelings again. Had a fresh lime juice (truly fresh) and started off for a dam.

The dam was a usual one, but then the wide expanse of the fresh waters gave it such an appeal. And, the best part of it was that it began to drizzle and rain when we went there leaving an enthralling evening. We sat on the dam, played with stone trottings on the water, chit chatted for sometime, sat in silence enjoying the beauty of the evening for sometime and when it was pitch dark, we started.

Now, the unexpected thing happened. We thought of taking another way while returning which we presumed would be a shorter route. Only after we took the route did we realize that there was no road, no lights or lamps and pitch dark too. The ten minutes is the most awful thing to happen. We doubted at times, if we would reach the main roads at all. With deeps on both the sides and the width of the flat surface being just the width of our van, one small deviation could lead to a fall. Oh, we tried keeping cool and not creating any tension so that the driver can drive. There was absolutely no trace of light or anybody around and we had no clue as to where the road, sorry, the path, ended at all. We couldn’t get down and walk either as we didn’t have a torch and it was pretty unsafe. I remember murmuring prayers and hoping that I would still have my dream come true, to live a two-hundred years JJ.

And lo!! After ten minutes of the eventful drive, we finally managed to reach the main road. And guess what, the van lights went off at just that moment. Managed to drive to a restaurant supported by lights from other vehicles. We were awe-struck. What if the lights had gone a few minutes before. God is truly great!!!! And the driver too, he was just too good, never let any tension or fear grip him and drove at his best.


Had a heavy dinner at a supposed to be classy restaurant with a film running by ;-). Returned back to the hotel and caught a good sleep that night.

Woke up the next morning and we were planning to leave by 7 again as we had to go to the Pookot lake and then start to Palghat where we had to board the train. Again, these guys got up late and we were late by a couple of hours. The pookot lake was at its best too. With dense bushes and trees at its sides and fresh cool water, boating was as memorable and as enlivening as it could be. The fresh water lake, dark green trees, the cloudy sky and the mild drizzles….oh!! how splendid!!! Had a gala time boating and we returned back to see a bunch of naughty monkeys springing here and there.. With a very heavy heart, we started to Palghat.

The way back should have been just wonderful, but a heavy heart didn’t let me enjoy the drive. Had a typical Kerala lunch, and we were traveling again. We got down at a supposed-to-be-haunted tree, caught pictures there hoping for shadows behind us once the print comes JJ. We just didn’t feel like leaving to Palghat and were pleading with our Project Manager to extend the trip by a day. We wanted to go back to Wayanad and go to Chembra Peak (supposed to be the best place out there which requires a day as one has to trek for about 18 km). But then, pleading was in vain. Our PM had a heavy heart too, but then cant afford to bunk, that too, a mass one LL. Came to Palghat, bought chips and boarded the train.

We had our dinner and started planning for another trip. It always happens na, at the end of a wonderful trip, one tends to start planning for another one so that one gets the feeling that these moments will come again. Although, the next trip with the same gang never happened, the chat and discussion made us feel really good. Then, we were playing cards till about 1 or 2 late night and then slept only to wake up at 4:30 am with a very heavy heart.

Back at office, the day was really long and sad and it took me about a couple of weeks to overcome the missing feelings. Used to think that yesterday this time, we were there, last week, this time, we were there and the photos as they started coming helped us relive the fantastic moments there.

Oh what a trip!!! The lovely climate that prevailed, the lively team formed, the marvelous places visited…. can I ever forget it!!! Am going there again, for sure!!! JJ

P.S : Pictures from the net...waitin to scan and upload the pics we shot there...